Shades of Rust
by FollowThatConvoy
Summary: What happens when the t-virus makes another appearance in an isolated little town called Arcadia? And what happens when an innocent life announces impending doom? Sequel to Blue Jeans and Silver Lining, and hopefully, my retirement letter. R&R if you please
1. Uncontrolled

**A/N: Hello? Anybody out there? For those who are still interested… Took me a while, but hell, I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!**

 **1\. Uncontrolled**

It was hot.

It was oh so very hot, and that wouldn't be weird at all if they were still setting camp somewhere erased from the map, or crossing Nevada, or even trapped inside a human sized oven.

But it was Alaska.

It was goddamn Alaska, and even though there was snow covering the mountain tops, an almost tropical summer just hit them unexpectedly.

She watched him from the porch with narrowed eyes. He should look ordinary with cargo pants and a smudged singlet that had seen better days. He wore those all the fucking time, and yet they looked _hot_.

K-Mart was sweating profusely. Chris Redfield had been nailing stupid boards on that stupid house for _months_ , when she thought he should be nailing something _else_.

Almost as if she possessed that awkward gift of inappropriate, parental mind reading, Claire stopped next to her, arms folded, watching her brother with the exact squint K-Mart displayed, only for different reasons.

"There's a bit of drool on your chin. And around your feet," Claire declared unceremoniously.

"Leave it alone, Claire," K-Mart grunted, feeling uncomfortably hot on the face.

"What, we're not best friends anymore?" the redhead sounded genuinely hurt now. "We used to talk about everything!"

"Yeah, when Alice wasn't my second mom and Chris was just your stupid brother," she retorted, unsticking blonde hair from her sweaty forehead. "What the hell is he doing anyway?"

Claire looked at her in awe. "You didn't ask? _You_?"

"Ha ha. Very funny," the blonde scowled. "I did, but he won't say a word about it. What a terrible, stubborn bloodline-"

"Hey!"

"What's a bloodline?"

Both women looked around and found Becky gently leaning on the wooden rail, watching them with an innocent frown.

"Bloodline's what I'll leave on the ground if he doesn't stop showing off," Alice snarled, startling the three of them as she came outside completely unannounced and quickly went down the stairs and marched towards the scaffolds.

"Oh God, that can't be good…"

"Serves him right," K-Mart grunted. Sometimes she loved being Alice's kid, even though she'd rather die than admit it. " _Asshole_."

"You'd think you'd be less cranky now he gives you the attention of the day," Claire said, following her inside, Becky right behind them.

"Mom, what's a bloodline?"

" _Attention of the day_?" K-Mart scoffed, looking indignant as she slumped down the couch. "What, were you raised in the twenties? He's such a prude!"

"K-Mart!"

"Well, he is!" she shrugged. "He treats me like I'm a china doll and I'll break at the slightest-"

"Okay, I get your point of not talking about him with me. It's weird," Claire interrupted her with a minimum cringe. "But as your declared parent, I'm glad he's not being anything other than a gentleman to you."

"Oh my God, did you actually _say_ it?" K-Mart jumped off the couch, just as if Claire repelled her, and made her way to her bedroom. "My ears are _bleeding_. And I may vomit."

"Is K-Mart being a hormonal brat?"

Claire let out a chuckle at her kid reciting Ocampo without a single imperfection. She looked at Becky and couldn't help a tired smile as she ran her fingers through her wild hair.

"Please, don't grow up so fast."

 **XXX**

"What the hell-" Chris frowned slightly when one of the boards simply fell off its place and hit the ground. He had attached it strongly, but now that he looked closer, it seemed like an invisible force had removed every single nail-

"What was that for?" he asked nonchalantly as he turned around and found Alice staring at him. As she remained silent, he collected the board and climbed up the scaffold. Several other boards fell around him, but he only lost his cool when a hammer hit his head. "Okay, what the actual fuck?"

"This is disturbing."

" _What_ , exactly, is annoying you, now?" he rolled his eyes. She had been watching him so murderously over the past few months that he was not surprised she finally approached his construction site with that attitude.

"You are showing off."

"What?"

"Your… arms. Muscles everywhere! My kid's all distracted because of it!"

"Unless you're talking about a new child… _The kid_ you are referring to is K-Mart? Who also happens to be my girlfriend?"

"She's a kid nonetheless, and you're depriving me of some peace of mind!"

Chris took a deep breath as he hooked the hammer back into his belt. "Look, if you keep doing this" he pointed the fallen boards "it's gonna take longer to finish."

Not to mention she said she would help, and so far all she did was glare.

"That's the idea," Alice grunted, turning around to leave. "Put on some clothes, I'm gonna have nightmares for the rest of my life."

She stormed past her house, aware that Claire would want to _talk-about-it_. Instead, Alice headed to the warehouses. It was her favorite place in the world when she was pissed at the rest of it.

The blonde slumped down an old chair, pretty much the same way K-Mart would have, and as cute as their similarities were at first, the undeclared war between them was starting to look ugly.

Claire had tried – unsuccessfully – to interfere, but after a while, she decided to leave them to fight all they wanted. There was a lot of silence and angry glares between them, and it didn't take the redhead long to understand.

With Alice patrolling and sniffing K-Mart like an overprotective mother rhino, Chris would never lay a finger on their young rebel.

Alice knew Claire was relieved at some point, but she was sure her wife would never understand the true nature of her anger.

Alice was like an animal, now, and instincts spoke louder than reason most of the time. She wanted to rip off Chris's throat. She wanted to _kill_ him, and the mere thought of his hands on her kid just made her want to-

"I'm really not in the mood, so I recommend you leave," she barked upon hearing soft footsteps.

"Excuse me?"

Alice was surprised. It was not the voice she had expected to hear, and least of all the tone of genuine indignation.

"I could've sworn you were Jill-" Alice's voice trailed off.

"Well I'm not," Claire said, folding her arms as she approached the blonde. She leaned on the radio panel and stared down at her. "This gotta stop."

"No, it doesn't!"

" _You gave him permission_!"

"Doesn't mean I can't take it back!"

Claire smiled in spite of herself. Alice could look like a child when she had mixed feelings, and she secretly adored that pout.

"Honey, you _do_ realize it's a little too late for that, right? And like it or not, they will eventually be alone in that house, or anywhere else, and they're gonna do it… I'm not saying I like it," she added when Alice looked up with her eyes bulging. "I'm just saying you should make it easier for them. K-Mart will start doing things behind our back, and _that_ I don't like."

"She can be as sneaky as she wants, but your brother knows I'm watching," she grunted. "I can play this game for a _long_ time."

"Well, how long you think you'll be ahead on the competition?" Claire sighed. "Listen, my brother is _not_ the douche you're painting inside your head, and K actually loves him."

"Yeah, but he's her first love!" Alice spluttered. "And he's gonna be her first at so many other things I don't like to think about, and one way or another, he's gonna hurt her, and I can't even-" Alice let out a frustrated growl when Claire held both of her hands.

Several objects were suspended midair, and they collapsed noisily when Alice relaxed.

"Sorry."

"Let's go home, c'mon."

Alice accepted the hand Claire offered, but she was not really convinced she actually wanted to be around people. Lately the t-virus was pulling stunts on her, aggravating the mood swings and destabilizing her telekinesis. Not to mention that she had failed miserably at recognizing Claire by the sound of her walk, and even confused her scent with Jill's.

She had never made _that_ mistake.

If Claire noticed, she didn't let it show. She just dragged the reluctant blonde with her towards their house, hoping she would calm down a little.

However, Claire _had_ noticed every single change in Alice.

She just didn't know what to do.

Becky was distracted on the floor of their living room, dressing over and over a creepy doll Crystal found in the middle of debris almost two years ago.

Claire checked on her and pulled Alice towards the staircase, guiding her to their bedroom.

"You wanna fuck now?" Alice asked.

"Sit," Claire said, ignoring her.

Alice sat down on the bed and waited for Claire to accommodate in the armchair in front of her. She blinked several times, adjusting her now pale red hair behind her ears before she started.

Alice still looked juvenile, while everyone else in Arcadia had started to show precocious expression lines, including herself.

"I'm worried about you."

The blonde winced internally. She hated _that_ look, and she hated the way Claire's blue eyes scrutinized her, unpeeling every layer of her thick façade. So she _knew_ something was wrong, too.

Alice was not exactly looking forward to talk about it, but she didn't even bother pretending to ignore what Claire meant. That never worked with the leader anyway.

"I'm under a lot of stress."

"I am too," Claire deadpanned.

"Well, you lost weight," Alice shrugged. "I lost control of the t-virus a bit."

" _A bit_? You're lashing out on people like –"

"A _monster_?" Alice spat.

"Stop attacking me like I'm your enemy!" Claire finally yelled. "I'm enduring this for _weeks_ now, and I can't stand it anymore! I can't help you if you won't let me!"

"What, wanna divorce?" Alice scoffed, regretting saying it the second the words left her lips. "Fuck, I didn't mean that-"

"You're worried about my brother? You're the only asshole I see here!"

It was almost as if Alice's body caught fire.

"It's not entirely my fault!" she hollered, jumping off the bed and advancing on Claire. "I don't know if _you_ remember, but I was _injected_ with this shit!"

"You LET THEM!"

Alice's face contorted in rage.

There it was. The moment Claire rubbed to her face how this was _all her fault_.

Alice was an inch from her face, her breath shaky and uneven against her skin.

Claire didn't move a muscle. She was terrified, but she was also too mad to back off.

"Fuck you," Alice hissed.

The redhead blinked, letting out a heavy breath. " _Fuck you_?" she arched one eyebrow. "Is that all you got?"

Alice shrugged like a grumpy teenager. "What did you expect?"

"I don't know, murder?" Claire grunted.

"I don't want to kill you."

"Well, that makes one of us."

"What the fuck is happening here?" K-Mart burst into the room. "Did you know Becky's ear thing actually works and she can hear what you say to each other?"

"Did she?" Alice asked, all the fury suddenly disappearing.

"No, I turned the volume down when you closed the door," K-mart spat, receiving an eye roll from Alice, which she ignored. "You trash the shower room to fuck but you can't get out of the house to fight?"

" _K-Mart_!" Claire hissed.

"Oh don't give me that bullshit-"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Alice snarled.

"You're such a hypocrite," K-Mart snapped and left the room, slamming the door behind her.

They heard her taking Becky outside and telling her something about finding a cooler toy. Alice spied through the curtains and spun on her heels when they were out of sight.

"Are you happy now?"

"I'm not the one scaring people," Claire grunted with a shrug.

They remained quiet for a while, sitting side by side on their bed. Alice hated it when Claire gave her the silent treatment. She waited, though; she was not just going to give in.

About twenty minutes later, Claire decided she would eventually break her resolve, and she wasn't in the mood to let Alice win. The redhead stood up and headed to the door, when a strong hand grabbed her around the waist and pinned her to the wall.

"Am I scaring you?" Alice whispered, a flash of red crossing her eyes. She looked more predatory than menacing.

"No," Claire said squinting defiantly.

"Am I turning you on?"

 _That_ fucking smirk. Claire groaned in her mind.

" _No_ ," she snarled.

Alice slid her hand down Claire's jeans and rested her long fingers between her legs. "You sure?"

Claire was throbbing. "Yes."

"Then how come you're so-?"

"REDFIELD!"

Alice rolled her eyes; she hated interruptions. Claire let out a deep, shaky breath, and got rid of the blonde, walking fast towards the window. It was Ernie, the front of his clothes covered in blood.

"Oh Jesus…"

Claire hurried downstairs, Alice grunting on her heels, and by the time they met the man outside, other people had gathered around their house, everyone talking at the same time.

"Shut up!" Claire yelled. "I have one brain, people! Who's going to talk? Ernie, you were the first to get here. Go."

"It's Bennett," he said, breathless. "People are lynching him at the central square," he pointed behind his shoulder with his thumb. "He… huh… tried to assault-"

Claire silenced him with her hand and turned to Alice. "Run," she muttered.

Alice merely nodded, and within a second, she was out of sight.

"Why did you send her?" Ernie asked as though Claire had lost her mind.

"She's faster than any of us, and I need her to hold everyone back before they kill that scumbag. I need to interrogate him before locking him up."

"Well, you better hurry, then, darling," a woman said. "It was K-Mart. Your beloved killing machine will do it before _you_ get there."

"For the love of God," Claire hissed and set to a frenetic run, everyone on her heels like the old times. Her chest constricted with what she would find; the possibilities scared her shitless.

She could never admit it to them, but she actually hoped Alice had already skinned him alive by the time she arrived.

 **XXX**

"HEY!"

The commotion stopped immediately. Everyone recognized that mighty, booming voice. One by one, they stood up and made way for Alice. In the middle of the square, one eye swollen and supporting a bleeding lip, Bennett coiled like a scared animal at the sight of her.

She was sure she heard a whimper, and that made her despise the coward even more. Then she saw, with the corner of her eye, the ripped fabric of K-Mart's t-shirt.

Her cheeks were pink, and suddenly she looked _so_ young… Her eyes held defiance, anger, shame and something else Alice could not quite place.

They locked eyes for a moment before K-Mart averted her scrutiny. Alice's rational mind stopped working the second it clicked, and then hell broke loose.

She was on top of Bennett in a whim, fingers clasped around his throat without any conscious command. All the noise and voices faded away, and all she could hear was the pulse on her head and a primal growl that, she noticed, was coming from within her.

"STOP!"

It wasn't Claire, even though the arms around her neck felt as soft. She had no idea why that voice had any power over her, but it did. When she came back to her senses, Alice realized she was breathing hard against K-Mart's torn t-shirt.

 **XXX**

When Claire arrived, her eyes travelled fast looking for three specific people, and somehow the sight of K-Mart tackling Alice soothed her in a strange way. Her heart was about to skip a beat when she located Becky secured behind Crystal.

Rain came trotting to her, and the blood on her knuckles made Claire groan.

"Please, tell me you didn't incite it-"

"Pardon the pun, but I saw red," the brunette grunted, breathing with difficulty. "When I heard K scream, I lost it-"

Claire stopped listening. She was worried that people would kill him, but he touched her kid.

He _dared_ to touch her kid.

She wanted to aim for his jugular, and finish the job, but the nagging sense of duty prevented her a second before she followed her maternal instincts. When she turned around, Chris was fighting against several pairs of hands to get to Bennett.

"I'm gonna kill you!" he hollered, completely out of his mind. "You're gonna regret being born, you sick pervert-"

" _Shut up_!"

It was probably out of surprise that Jill reacted like that. She had never seen Chris Redfield so shaky. He blinked, baffled by the snap. The brunette came to a halt in front of him, and silently gestured for the others to let him go.

"Keep your shit together, this is _not_ The Holy Inquisition!" she hissed through gritted teeth, looking straight into his furious eyes. "You, take Bennett to the warehouse," she said to Carlos and Luther. "I'm asking questions and we'll decide later what to do with him. Like _humans_. Alright?"

There was a general murmur of agreement and embarrassment, even though a few people didn't look sorry in the slightest. Once the mess of people dissipated and everyone went back to their tasks, K-Mart let go of Alice with a painful grunt.

"You're damn strong!"

"I wasn't even moving, kid."

"Don't call me kid!"

"Are you alright?"

K-Mart paused at the expression on Alice's face and the fear on her raspy tone. She seemed to be in pain, and so mad that it reminded her of her real, long lost mother. She suddenly felt like it was time to give a rain check on their silent war.

"Yes, _mom_ ," she tried to smile, nudging the tall blonde in the ribs. "Rain told me once she taught you all you know about kicking ass, and well, she _was_ really impressive when she…" her voice trailed off for a moment, but it didn't take long for her to go back to herself. "But don't tell her I said that, I'll never hear the end of it if she does."

"I was the one who taught her," Alice grunted.

"That fucking liar," K-Mart chuckled, faking indignation. There was silence and then both stared at each other. "I don't want my mom to be a murderer. Punish him all you want, but not like this."

Alice turned away to avoid her look, but not because she was upset. She was ashamed. She was supposed to set an example to that girl. She was supposed to be her hero, even if she grew up and didn't believe in heroes anymore.

"Promise?"

Alice looked back at K's brown eyes. She sighed. "I promise, kid."

K-Mart kissed her cheek on her way up towards Chris's arms. The older Redfield engulfed _her_ girl in an overprotective hug, and well, she would have to drop the childish attitude towards him. She could kill him in her mind all she wanted, but there was no way she would break another promise she made to K-Mart.


	2. Affected

**A/N: It's so good to be back! I am not prepared to wait over 500 days for the movie, so let's do the waiting a little productive, eh? I guess this chapter will be a little bit more enlightening… Have fun! Thanks for reading!**

 **A/N 2: this whole part 3 is dedicated to Agatha, my muse, my love**

 **2\. Affected**

"Thank you."

Jill looked up and stared at him, incredulously. _The nerve_.

"For stopping them," Bennett elaborated with what was left of his teeth.

"Don't talk to me," she hissed, tilting her head at Chase. "Gag him."

Yeah, that still felt primitive, but Jill decided Bennett wasn't giving her much of a choice.

"So, what exactly happened?" she asked, while Carlos checked the handcuffs.

"K-Mart was with Becky, looking for Crystal," Janet said, staring apprehensively to her displeased audience; Luther was actually staring at Bennett while cracking his knuckles, and Chase was locking and unlocking his gun at disturbing fashion. "Crystal was taking inventory of the medicine cabinet, and Becky went with her. K-Mart went back home. We heard screaming, and then Rain was all over him, dragging him to the square, and everyone started punching."

That was the third testimony she heard, and the versions said pretty much the same thing. He had attacked her when she was alone and out of sight. What was a mystery to her, however, was how _Alice_ wasn't there first, and how Rain figured out where to find K-Mart so fast.

"I'll check with the victim exactly _what_ you did," Jill hissed at Bennett, looking at him with disdain. "You shouldn't thank me for anything, you son of a bitch. I'll make sure you regret being born. Well," she looked up at the men. "You keep an eye on him, and I'll talk to K. I'll come back when I get the verdict."

Jill left with a cool attitude, but she felt distraught the second she got out of the warehouse. How could he?

She was more than inclined to punch the rest of his teeth out of his mouth, but she was also a former cop and she had to handle the situation accordingly, praising honor, etic and many things that sounded irrelevant when the world was destroyed.

 **XXX**

She looked up, head propped on her hand. Chris was scrutinizing her from head to toe, and once again, not the way she wanted him to. In a different situation, K-Mart could have laughed at how gigantic he looked, sitting at the edge of her tiny bed, avoiding contact with the mattress as much as he could.

"Hey," she said softly.

Chris offered her a smile that made it look like he was in extreme pain, and she rolled her eyes.

"Could you _not_ do that? I'm not a pathetic damsel in distress, so you can stop treating me like one, okay?"

K-Mart had expected a clumsy speech, some lame excuse about how that was a bad idea, how the recent events made him feel like he was taking advantage of her and the whole thing, but Chris Redfield was a man full of surprises.

She gasped loudly when he pulled her to him and kissed her avidly, but it only took her a second to kiss him back with the same passion. They had never done that before, and the feeling of his hands roaming her body was even better than what she fantasized.

Only when the palm of his hand went dangerously from her ribs to her breast line, K-Mart came back to her senses.

"I didn't plan to do it wearing _this_ thing," she chuckled against his lips, earning a confused look from him. "Wait a sec."

She stood up from bed, and made a swift movement towards an old chest of drawers, from where she picked a different t-shirt. Chris felt like an idiot. _Of course_ she didn't want hands on her, mere hours after what had happened, wearing the piece of cloth the maniac tried to-

"You're doing it again," she pointed accusingly as his expression probably screamed guilt. "I am fine! And most importantly… You're not him," she added in undertone, something different in her eyes as she studied his body language. He looked uncomfortable, but also… Yeah. _Eager_. "No need to hold back, I gave you permission a long –" she pulled the ruined t-shirt up her head, blond hair falling messily over her naked shoulders "- time ago."

He gasped. She grinned. _Broadly._

"Relax," she put on the new shirt and slumped back into bed, climbing on his lap with a cute smile as she patted his chest. "I'll go easy on you, old man."

Chris chuckled. It was the first time she heard that sound in _years_ , or at least since he found out she had a crush on him.

"You're impossible, did you know that?" he said, stroking her hair, then cupping her face with both hands. "I'm sorry we're not spending much time together, and that's probably my fault he attacked you."

"Wha- _Why_?"

"I wasn't there, not even to help you when you screamed-"

"If you were there, he would've chosen a different girl. And that's not even the point! I should be free to walk around without being afraid! He's the corrupted one here, and that's not anyone's fault. And I already told you, you're my boyfriend, not my body guard. Christ, the way Alice walks around Claire! _Hell_ no, you don't get to do that with me!"

Chris smiled. "Duly noted, young lady."

"Good," she spat, holding back a smile of her own at the loving nickname and the way he said it.

"So… Alice and Claire won't let me stay here for long-"

"You're not serious-"

"For this reason," added hastily "I was wondering if you'd like to help me with the cabin. It's outside, at their view, and we get to spend the afternoon together. Like old times."

K-Mart went silent, and for a brief second Chris wondered if he had said something wrong, but then he saw it, that sparkle in her eyes, the same he saw the night he jumped off the helicopter.

"Are you kidding? Shit, yes!"

"Ha ha okay, okay, calm down-!"

She grabbed him by the hand and pulled him towards the door and then down the stairs. Alice and Claire were sitting in the living room, and to their surprise, Jill was there too.

"Hi," she said with a forced smile, waving at the girl. "Can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Jill's working on… the incident," Claire said.

"Oh sure," K-Mart shrugged, and turned to Chris. "Wanna wait for me outside? This might be kinda shitty."

He grunted his agreement, suddenly back to his sullen self; he walked out the door and was gone before K-Mart sat down in front of Jill. When the girl noticed her 'moms' didn't move, she cleared her throat.

Claire stood up quickly, shaking her head, as if chastising herself for not thinking about K wanting some privacy. Alice followed her, clearly against her will, but Claire just knew it would be worse if the blonde heard the details.

They went upstairs, Alice complaining out loud how she was _sure K-Mart changed her clothes in front of your Neanderthal brother_. Claire merely waved her off and shut the bedroom door.

Jill looked at K-Mart a little hesitantly.

"I know this sucks, but I need-"

"What's gonna happen to him, Jill?"

"Don't worry, he _will_ be punished-"

"I know he will," she stared at her lap. "But… Does it have to involve… killing? Can you… lock him up or something?"

"Well, if anyone has a say on this, that is _you_ , kid."

K-Mart didn't even protest; growing up apparently was only valid to herself and people younger than her.

"Yeah, I don't want anyone becoming an assassin because of Bennett. He's not worth it."

"I get it," Jill nodded. "He's tied up, and I have people on watch. I need to know if he actually-"

"No," she said quickly. "He didn't."

"How did it happen?"

"He pulled me inside one of those abandoned cellars near the graveyard. Covered my mouth and ripped my shirt. Then I just… bit his hand and called for help. Rain was there in two seconds."

"She deserves a kiss," the brunette sighed. "Well, I know I'm not your favorite person in the world, but I worked with special victims once. If you ever need to talk about it-"

"I'm okay, Jill. But thanks."

"Alright. I promise we won't do anything that involve hurting, torturing or killing."

Jill stood up and walked slowly towards the door. When she was about to leave, K-Mart called her up.

"Hey Jill?"

"Yeah?"

"It's not your fault Chris likes you, so… I don't hate you. Anymore," she added with an embarrassed grin.

The brunette gasped in shock. " _What?_ "

"I'm young, not stupid. And I'm okay with that."

Jill let out a chuckle before she could restrain herself. How was it possible that the snoopiest girl on Earth had _no idea_? K-Mart was not supposed to be _that_ dense.

"He's head over heels for you, kid," Jill said softly. "You've got nothing to worry about."

K-Mart looked unsecure for the first time. "You think so?"

Jill grinned. _Definitively_ Alice's brood. "Oh, I _know_ so. He's building a _house_ for you! I mean, who does that?"

Jill scoffed and left, missing completely the expression on K-Mart's face. Chris was sulking on the porch, and he swiftly turned around with her appearance.

"Is she okay? Did he-?"

"Nothing happened."

Chris let out a sigh, and Jill noticed he had more lines around his eyes, and that his expression carried a lot of pain. He had never been the most festive person she knew, but it was the first time Jill saw that look on his face.

"This girl's been through too much shit, Jill," he whispered, staring at the half-built cabin a few feet away. "And it seems that, no matter how hard I try to keep her close, something always happens to her."

"You have to stop blaming yourself at some point, you know. She's not Claire, and I know she'll kick your ass if you don't stop playing the bitter hero with the guilt complex."

"You think I don't know that?" he said miserably. "I try, but I'm not fun!"

"Just be happy, you idiot. It's about time," she patted his shoulder as she made her way out.

Chris sighed, and buried his face on his hands, when a voice behind him made his heart jump.

"I think you're fun."

He smiled involuntarily as he turned to face K-Mart. "How long you've been listening?"

She grinned mischievously. " _Fun_ in your peculiar, stupid way, but still… fun."

Chris groaned.

"C'mon, smartass!" he pulled her up on his shoulder, and she squealed. "That cabin won't build itself!"

"Put me down!"

He smiled. "I don't plan on letting you down ever again," he said, but then his voice became quiet. "You know that, don't you?"

K-Mart didn't say anything as she took in the implications of the double meaning, but she smiled contentedly.

Yeah, she knew.

 **XXX**

Rain narrowed her eyes as she watched at a distance Chris carrying K-Mart on his shoulder like a potato bag. She scratched her thigh in the exact spot where Alice had stabbed her two years ago.

The wound was gone, but she felt it tingle from time to time, and having watched Alice for a while now, she wondered if she had overreacted with Bennett because it was K or if it was because the virus made her.

"It's the weirdest family tree I've seen," Crystal said, watching them as well as she stopped next to Rain. "Alice is Becky's biological mother, Claire's the foster parent, and Chris, who's Becky's foster uncle, dates K-Mart, her foster sister. That's confusing."

"Family's confusing."

Crystal unfolded her arms. "Are you okay?"

Rain sighed, turning around to check how Becky was doing with the scooter. She was a bit concerned that the improvised wheel might just get loose. At the speed the little girl was, it would be a monumental wipeout.

"Hey, slow down, Usain!" Rain waved at her, and turned to Crystal. "She's gonna lose her teeth!"

"And auntie Rain."

Rain and Crystal turned and met a surly-looking Alice, hands shoved into her pockets, and a cigarette at the corner of her mouth.

"Hey!" Crystal said with a sad smile. "Is K alright?"

"Yeah. She's… hanging in there."

Rain snickered. She knew her friend wanted to kill Bennett as much as she did. The cool attitude was very unlike Alice, and she knew for sure something was deadly wrong.

"Uh, Claire's looking for you," Alice added to Crystal. "Wants a report on the meds."

"Oh. Okay, I'll get to that."

"She's home."

"Alright," Crystal pecked Rain's cheek and hurried to the direction Alice had come from.

"Spit it out."

Alice scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "K didn't want Claire and I to take part of the talk she had with Jill, but I heard them anyway," the blonde sighed. "We scared her."

"Is this a t-shit thing? 'Cause I don't like it, Abernathy!"

"Feeling aggressive much?" Alice snorted, looking at Becky. "Look at that, she's planning to… take off or something?"

"You sound proud that she looks like a bullet and is batshit crazy like her momma."

"You fixed a _scooter_ for her!"

"A scooter, not a fucking rocket! God, I hope she won't grow into a giant asshole like you," Rain scoffed. "What you doing here? Claire grounded you?"

Alice looked indignantly at the brunette. "How-?"

"Oh, I'd _know_! You both look fucking miserable not doing everything together. You were always sniffing around Red like a dog. What happened?"

Alice didn't say anything, but the look of misunderstood martyr on her face gave her away. Rain knew the explosion would come within a few seconds.

"I was _exactly_ like this when we met!"

 _There it was…_

"I don't know why _suddenly_ aggressive and rude are _not_ attractive anymore!"

"It's this fucking virus, isn't it?" Rain asked quietly.

Alice shrugged. In fact, she looked more worried than bothered. Everything was her fault, from the second she decided her life was worthless and she wanted to expose Umbrella.

Man hadn't that escalated.

 **XXX**

K-Mart applied sandpaper on the board almost tenderly. If what Jill said was true – and she was trying _not_ to get attached to the idea of it being real – she had part of the wall of _their_ house in her hands.

She was distracted in so many ways that she didn't notice Chris staring at her with an almost imperceptible smile on his lips. They were sitting across from each other, and he thought that it was a bit out of character; K-Mart usually was aware of everything, and it was hard to watch her without getting caught.

She was breathtaking, he mused. Her skin was smooth, slightly tanned by the years travelling under the sun. Her blonde hair fell over her face and freckled shoulders in a perfect angle, so he didn't miss her eyes and lips, and it even allowed him to take a _not so fast_ glimpse of her breasts.

They were not as small as he had imagined. And no, she was not wearing a bra back then. Her waistline was slim, and even though he could see her ribs, she had round hips and a fine-

"You're _gaping_ at me?"

Chris snapped back to reality, a breath hitching on his throat when he noticed the _exact_ spot her wide-open eyes were aiming at. He crossed his ankles as fast as he could, but the look on her face said it was too late. The girl looked impossibly smug and smitten, and well, _that_ twitch on her pink lips was _not_ helping.

"Awn, you're blushing!" she said in a happy whisper, kneeling her way towards him and accommodating herself torturously on his lap, one leg on each side of him. "You're cute, mister."

Chris let out a breathy chuckle. "K-"

She swayed her hips, brown eyes hooded with desire, and suddenly she didn't look like the chirp and loud teenager he knew.

"What?" she whispered on his ear, gasping as she felt his hands grabbing her waist strongly, pressing her down on him.

"People could-" his voice trailed off when she slowly brushed her lips against his, and the moment she kissed him, Chris stopped thinking coherently. His hands travelled automatically under her t-shirt, from her stomach to her breasts.

She moaned into his mouth.

It was the first time he heard that sound, and God, he could spend the rest of his life hearing that. The electrical current flowing through his body sent unbearable jolts to his lower abdomen. K-Mart rubbed herself frenetically against him, kissing him as she pulled his hair and exhaled shakily.

"K-" he managed to grunt. If she didn't get away from him that second, he would take her, right there, at sight, in broad daylight. "K, please…"

She swayed her hips languidly with a low whimper, daring him to give her an excellent reason to get off him.

"You're my nightwatch partner from now on," he hissed through gritted teeth, praying that she would take it as good enough.

"When's first shift?" she whispered.

"Tonight," Chris grunted, feeling his lower belly contract in pain and anticipation.

"Okay," she breathed, rolling to his side as she dismounted him.

They were both gasping for air as they rested against the wall. K-Mart closed her eyes and grinned, heart thumping on her eardrums, feeling oddly tired, enjoying the feeling of his hand searching for hers and holding it.

 **XXX**

"I'm assuming _these_ are not for our prisoner."

Ada threw Claire an amused look and resumed cleaning a series of knives of different sizes and shapes on top of a rectangle made of canvas.

"I'm assuming you're here to discuss the weird changes in Abernathy over the last year," Ada said, wrapping it up carefully and tying it like a sleeping bag.

"How did you know?"

"You both are very obvious. Not to mention the track of destruction I've been observing. Seems aggravated."

" _How_ aggravated?" Claire asked quietly.

"Don't worry, people didn't notice it, just me. I was trained for that, after all. To others, she's just the same truculent pain in the ass."

"Well, that she _is_ -"

"But I've been observing you as well, and you don't seem quite in your element either. I noticed you both losing your shit this morning."

"Bennett touched our daughter!"

"Yes, and I would offer to kill him myself if there wasn't a line of candidates. Anyway, I used to have access to classified information about the t-virus, and truth is, there was a chance of mutation. No specific life span or symptoms. Just uncertainties. And the exaggerated reaction I saw-"

"He touched K-Mart!"

"Alice's fingers literally burned the skin of his neck. He's got exactly ten prints with tiny blisters. The pressure of her body when she attacked him broke his leg. And, I suspect, a rib."

Claire went silent for a moment, taking it all in. She thought they were done with unpleasant surprises.

"I'm not overlooking what he did to K-Mart. I am just saying that you, or Christopher, would not have caused that many injuries, even at your worst temper."

"Alice's stronger than us," Claire blurted out weakly.

"Rain Ocampo slapped his face and he spat blood and four teeth."

"Well, she's a little bit truculent, too-"

"She's got the t-virus in her system. Alice stabbed her with infected blood-"

"To save her life!"

"It doesn't matter!" Ada raised her voice for the first time. "They are going to change, and I have no idea what may happen to them. You saw what Wesker became."

"You think they have the antivirus?" Claire asked hesitatingly. "At the… facility?"

She whispered the last word as if it were a prohibited topic. In her mind, it probably was.

"It's still operational, so there is a chance."

"This means we have three people in Arcadia contaminated by a mutating virus," Claire concluded slowly.

"Two. Becky is a very different case. That would require a doctor."

"A _doctor_?"

"It's the only way to know for sure she won't turn into a savage. Experimenting proved genetically modified subjects might show violent tendencies and-"

"Yeah, I remember that," Claire snapped at her. "Vividly."

"You're affected right now, and so is your judgement. Give it a few more days before you make a decision. A trip to South America with a raging immortal and her sidekick requires a lot of planning."

 **XXX**

Jill watched fondly while Carlos and Becky played tic-tac-toe on the coffee table. The man and the little girl were sitting across from each other on the floor, and Jill only pretended to read a report on the couch so she could observe them and smile all she wanted.

Claire sat down next to her, wondering how bad it could hurt losing a child. Angie was about Becky's age when she died.

 _When Alice killed her._

Alice had grieved for years, and told her the story so many times that eventually Claire would feel the pain just as if she had been there all along.

She wondered, too, whether Becky was in danger, like Angie.

 _For having the virus in her system or for having Alice ready to kill her?_

Claire shook her head. She was _not_ used to those dark thoughts. Alice was the person she trusted most, her comfort, safety, her _love_ …

And yet, she couldn't help the feeling that Alice actually scared her.

"-planning some sort of cell for him. K said she wants him imprisoned, but not hurt. Not anymore than he already is, but don't tell her. It was caused by a lot of people lynching him."

Snapping back to reality, Claire only nodded at Jill.

"I think superwoman can melt some iron bars and weld them into the wall. Is she free for the job?"

"I guess," Claire said vaguely. "I'll ask her. Maybe she can start tomorrow. I'll have Rain helping."

"It's cute how you force them into this Grumpy Club. Like a comprehensive wife giving the husband some dollars to spend on drinks and hookers."

"When you put it like that, I'm glad the world ended," Claire chuckled.

"Alice would never do that to you! She may not be the most polite _or_ refined person I know, but still… She's ridiculously romantic on her own, weird way," Jill rolled her eyes.

 _Shame on you, Claire Redfield. You forgot about her having all her bones broken to save your ass and shit. And she gave Mickey a decent funeral. And she spelled his name right. And she still takes care of you and the girls like that's her ultimate reason to live._

 _And what happens to Alice when you and the girls are dead?_

"I know," Claire muttered. "That's why I… I think it's my turn to go to hell and back for her."

"What?"

Becky was beating Carlos's ass in the game, so they were both distracted enough for them to talk in private.

"The t-virus is mutating. She's having frequent crisis, aggressive mood swings… And I have no idea what will happen to-" she pointed Becky silently "-as she grows up."

Jill lowered her report as a chill ran down her spine. That story sounded _terribly_ familiar.

"There's one last facility in South America," Claire went on. "There are doctors, medicine and possibly some antivirus in there."

"Are you considering-?"

"Yes. I am considering it. Every second since she attacked Bennett."

Jill sighed and rested her back against the couch as she observed Carlos lose another match. He really sucked.

"Well, fuck me. If you're going on _another_ suicidal mission…" Jill offered a reassuring smile. "Count me in. It can get boring around these parts of the world."

Claire patted her arm with a relieved smile. She had no idea Jill Valentine would become her best friend one day.

A moment later, Alice and Chris entered the house avoiding eye contact as much as they could. The blonde went straight to the kitchen and the older Redfield hurried to sit next to his sister in the living room.

"Can you ask K to come down?" he muttered.

"You're taking her out on a date or something?" Claire asked. That would explain the horrible perfume he was using and the expression on Alice's face.

"I asked her to be my nightwatch partner."

"Oh."

"Hey, why didn't you come up?" K-Mart called from the top of the stair, a huge grin plastered on her face. "I was just finishing packing-"

She came down in hurried steps, Uzi in her belt and a flashlight dangling from her wrist. She wore a pair of combat boots and a military vest, and came to a noisy halt when Alice barged in right in front of her.

"Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"

"I'm doing nightwatch," she said defiantly.

"No, you're not!"

"Yes, I am!"

Jill watched from the couch, bemused. Claire stood up quickly, Chris right behind her. Apparently, their silent nerve battle was back on track, only NOT silent anymore.

"You can go," Claire said to K-Mart, beckoning Chris to get out with her quickly, and then she turned back to Alice. "And you… You can calm down. Please."

Carlos brightly reminded Jill they had plans to join Chase for dinner and invited Becky to come along with them, and in two minutes Alice and Claire were alone in their kitchen.

Alice had the pout back on, arms folded, staring at her boots like a spoiled child. The redhead approached her and opted for the only thing that seemed to work on that thickheaded wife of hers.

She made her unfold her arms and held both of her hands, trying to make eye contact. "Hey."

Alice looked up. "He's wearing _cologne_!"

Claire chuckled, throwing herself at the blonde. "I know, I have a nose. Wish I didn't, though," she added as an afterthought.

"How can you be okay with that?"

"Remember how I was all young and innocent and you would tilt your cowboy hat, be rude, or even spy on me changing?"

Alice gaped indignantly at her. "I didn't _spy_!"

"That's love," Claire ignored her. "People do stupid things when they are in love."

"I wasn't stupid! I was sexy as fuck with my hat! He smells like my grandfather!" Alice blurted out. "And just so you know, I knew you left a gap on the tent on purpose so I could watch!"

"You arrogant idiot-"

Alice silenced her with a passionate kiss, and soon they were stumbling on the walls, stairs, and against each other, ripping off clothes in between kisses and grunts. They never made to their bedroom, and suddenly it felt like absolutely nothing had changed.


	3. Sick

**3\. Sick**

Night watch sucked.

They had been squatting for one _entire_ hour, and when K-Mart let out a frustrated sigh, Chris smiled. _Of course,_ she had expectations, and _of course_ , he had not planned it to happen like this.

However, Chris realized his decisions would count for nothing if that made K-Mart miserable. He wanted it all for them – deep talks to see the way her brows furrowed; fun days to watch her smile and laugh like she didn't have a concern in the world; and finally, the private nights, to seal any silent promises they might have made when they chose each other.

"What do you say we keep watch inside that old truck Chase used to drive around? I think the radio might still work."

"Where is it?" the girl asked, slumping down on the hard ground, showing zero interest in moving.

"Not far from here, c'mon," he said, standing up and offering a hand to her.

K-Mart groaned but took it, and did not let go as they walked. It took them about ten minutes to get there, and she recognized they were way past the houses and sheds. It was a starry night, and the lack of breeze made it similar to the nights they spent on the desert.

The truck looked smaller, she thought, with two flat tires and the windshield shattered. Someone removed the flamethrower, and now it was just a regular, abandoned truck that would soon be eaten by rust. K-Mart climbed up into the cabin and observed the empty radio compartment on the dashboard.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at him.

"What would we listen to, anyway? Everyone out there is too dead to broadcast music."

Chris almost let his smile show. _What a temper_ …

"At least the seats are comfortable," he said with a shrug.

The look he gave her was probably unintentional, and held a combination of messages, but K-Mart liked what she found in his eyes, and most importantly, she liked the effect it had on her body.

She was on the edge of the passenger seat, legs dangling out of the cabin, and made a come-hither gesture.

There was no hesitation when he moved this time. He found his balance on the metal step by the door and watched her intently as she removed her vest and t-shirt.

It was so quiet out there, that K-Mart could appreciate the sound of his breath growing faster and louder as his hands roamed over her hot, naked skin.

Her body goose-bumped fast like a haystack on fire. His smile disappeared when he felt her hands on his belt.

K-Mart stared at him for a minute after she pulled his pants down. A _full_ minute.

Then she kicked off her boots and got rid of her worn out jeans.

Chris swallowed hard at the sight.

"You've got nice…" he pointed awkwardly at her. "Uh… nice… colors."

"Seriously?" she whispered. He was acting like a fifteen-year-old boy seeing a girl's underwear for the first time, when she was the one who had the right to be nervous and awkward.

It was probably the insecurity in her frown that triggered some sense back into his dull brain. Chris climbed on top of her slowly, removing the last item, keeping eye contact all through the process.

She held his gaze defiantly, and adjusted her legs so he could fit between them.

Then she closed her eyes, trying to absorb the shaky 'I love you' that he hissed somewhere near her ear.

 **XXX**

"Tell me again why we're awake at such ungodly hour?"

Alice exhaled deeply. Apparently, the end of the world had an annoying effect on Rain. When they still served in the Army, she usually she was the first up in the morning, and was loud as hell, much to her dismay.

"I mean, it's not like we have a lot to do here!" Rain snarled in between yawns. "Why do we need schedule? And more importantly, why do we let your wife arrange the schedules?"

"Apocalypse turned you into a lazy ass," Alice finally muttered. "This must be done while people are still asleep. It's less risky."

"You sound like Red," Rain scoffed. "What happened? Spent the night making up for being a pain in her ass? OUCH!" she moved away from Alice, holding her offended arm. "What the hell?"

"I said you were forbidden to talk about her ass. And I enjoy punching you."

"Fuck you!" she paired up with the blonde's march again. "You got laid! Stop being a savage, Abernathy! Unless Red likes it- OUCH! Mother… _fucker_! My arm! You sprained my shoulder, _puta_!"

"Here," Alice snapped it back in place, like she did once, when Rain fell from a tree during training. "Stop yelling, you're gonna wake up people, and that's the opposite of what we want!"

" _Man_ -"

They carried on without talking, but Alice's mind was fully awake now. Exactly how much force had she applied on that punch? Her train of thought was interrupted by an impatient-looking Ada Wong, now barely recognizable these days in military attire.

The red dress was gone, but the look of austerity she could transmit by merely eye-rolling was still there. She met them halfway towards the warehouse, pointing the torch at their faces menacingly.

"What kept you? Redfield said you'd be here at four!"

"How long you been waiting on us?" Rain scoffed, massaging her sore shoulder. "Seventeen seconds?"

"We had a setback," Alice said, scratching the back of her neck. "Where's Bennett?"

Ada caught the hitch on her voice when she tried to sound casual.

"In a secured room," Ada said. "People brought as much iron bars as they could find, so you just have to build a cell. The prisoner is none of your business."

"Except that it _is_ my business," Alice snarled, feeling her body temperature rise. Her fingers were on fire and she felt a dull ache on her skull.

"Not right now," Ada deadpanned. She marched towards the old dashboard and sat on top of it. She got distracted dismantling and cleaning a shotgun, but that didn't fool Alice for a second.

Ada _was_ the only indicated person to contain damage in case one of them had a wrath attack and decided to kill Bennett.

The blonde was already taken by anger, and with a few insults, she got Rain pissed and moving. They worked in silence, broken occasionally by Bennett's muttering across the warehouse.

Alice was sure she was the only one able to hear it, and it was driving her crazy. Ada could stoop lower than anyone else when she wanted to 'motivate' and get a job done.

 **XXX**

Claire was relieved when Alice left without running into anybody, but she was more relieved when, one hour later, the front door clicked open and K-Mart entered on tip-toe, trying to be as stealthy as she could.

She didn't see the redhead on the couch, and gasped in horror when she took the first step to go to her room and heard a chuckle coming from below the staircase.

" _Claire!_ "

"You're lucky mom number two already left to work."

"God, I'd be pissed if that didn't feel so _normal_..."

Claire noticed she was smiling as she came around the couch to sit with her. It had been a while since they last spent time together, just the two of them. In fact, Claire was surprised when a fully grown up K shoved her arm under hers and rested her head on her shoulder with a murmur that sounded like 'busted'.

It felt like the first night they slept together on their way to find the convoy after escaping Nevada and parting ways with Alice. Claire was heartbroken, but somehow the snoring teenager seeking comfort on her t-shirt soothed her, and she managed to sleep for a while that night.

They remained silent, watching the lit torch at the small coffee table.

"Where's she?" K-Mart asked quietly.

"In the warehouse."

" _With Bennett_?"

She sounded worried, and Claire smiled, glad that the love and hate dynamic between them never seemed to change.

"She promised you she wouldn't do anything, K."

"She's always angry, now," K-Mart said after a while. "Am I… a bad daughter to you guys?"

Claire laughed. " _What_? No! Why would you say something like that?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, looking exactly like when she was fourteen. "We fight a lot, me and her."

"That's what parents do."

"You don't. Not like her. It feels like she's losing her shit."

"If you must know…" Claire made a pause to sigh, and K-Mart watched her curiously. "She is. The t-virus is mutating, and she's not controlling her powers anymore. We're working on a plan to get the anti-virus in the last facility Umbrella left in the world."

K-Mart felt her jaw drop.

"Are you serious?" she whispered, and the redhead nodded. "Why are you telling me this?"

Claire frowned. "Because you asked."

K-Mart ignored the evasive answer. "But… If the t-virus is changing her… It means…"

"Becky and Rain might suffer with side effects, too."

"Can I come with you this time?"

Like Claire _didn't know_ that was coming…

"As much as it kills me to think what could possibly go wrong... I'm afraid you can."

K-Mart exhaled deeply; it was a lot to take in for a night. So they _knew_ she was an adult now.

She thought of Chris, and she instantly remembered that weird combination of pleasure and pain, which made her squirm slightly to get more comfortable in sitting position.

"So, how was… uh… night watch?" Claire suddenly asked, channeling mind-reading parent again.

K-Mart smiled softly. "It went well."

"You should rest."

"I'm not sure I can sleep right now."

Claire studied her carefully, wondering if she should ask anything.

"He said he loved me."

The redhead pulled her to a closer embrace. "I'm glad for you, K," she sighed. "I'm glad for _both_ of you."

"Alice doesn't seem happy at all."

"Don't forget she's the jealous, overprotective type, with a raging virus in her body. She's losing her shit since the day Chris asked permission to build a house for you-"

Claire had an 'Oh fuck' expression on her face that made K-Mart laugh.

"I found out yesterday, don't worry. You didn't ruin it."

"Was it Rain? She just can't keep a fucking secret-"

"It was Jill," K-Mart said with a grin. "My infuriating archenemy did it. Can you believe the irony?"

"She's not your _enemy!_ " Claire scoffed. _Always dramatic…_

"I know that _now._ Well, for such a small town, you guys sure can keep a secret. Everybody knew it!"

The leader could not help the feeling of loss that overcame her. Alice and her were the ones K-Mart looked up to, whenever she needed help, comfort or the painful truth. They were definitively losing their kid to adult life, and suddenly she understood the essence of what Alice felt.

Of course, she wasn't going to burn down the house in anger, but Claire just realized she _could_ have been nicer to Alice.

"So… I think Alice will be back soon, and I am preparing breakfast. Are you hungry?"

"God, yes!" K-Mart said, closing her eyes in satisfaction, stretching her legs on the couch now that Claire stood up and vacated it.

The redhead went quietly to the kitchen, where she distractedly started to prepare some coffee. They were a little short on powdered egg, and she made a mental note to borrow some from Chase and check food inventory with Rick.

If they were going on a mission again, chances were they would find more food to bring back.

 _If_ they came back.

Before dread could chill her veins, the front door opened and Alice went in quietly. She was dirty and sweaty, but her expression seemed peaceful. Claire beckoned her in silently, and Alice watched carefully as K-Mart slept soundlessly on the couch.

"She wanted to wait for you, but she was tired."

Alice sat down after squeezing Claire's hand softly, and didn't say anything as she sipped her coffee. The redhead noticed the way her eyes travelled from her hands to their sleeping drama queen.

Claire sat down next to her with a sad smile on her face. "She always will be your kid, you know?"

The blonde remained silent, and Claire thought the situation was appropriated to push her buttons. "And she's upset that you're mad at her."

"I'm not mad at her, I'm mad because she's… _growing up!"_ Alice blurted out. "She's moving out, she's in love, she's-" she sighed in defeat. "She was not supposed to change! She…"

K-Mart was her rock when they left Raccoon City without Claire. Alice had no idea what would've been of her without K.

"K-Mart is still K-Mart," Claire said, covering the blonde's fidgeting fingers with hers. "We're not losing her, honey."

Alice let out a deep breath. "I'm fucking up things with her."

"Lucky for you, she's K-Mart. She knows a thing or two about second chances."

"I'm gonna take her up to bed," Alice said with a sigh.

Claire felt tired, but she didn't want to close her eyes and miss out on the scene. Pieces of normalcy, like a parent carrying their kid to bed, soothed her, and made her stop worrying for a while – even if the kid was an eighteen-years-old girl, who had outgrown her, and was probably too heavy to carry around, unless you were Alice.

When the blonde came back, Becky was clasped around her torso like a koala.

"Couldn't sleep," the little girl whispered, gesturing to Claire as she got comfortable on Alice's lap. "I had a nightmare with ligators."

"It was just a bad dream," Claire signed with a tender smile that made Alice's heart jolt.

"Why do you smell like Uncle Chris?" Becky asked Alice, curling up on the crook of her neck and falling asleep almost immediately. Claire raised one inquisitive eyebrow at the blonde, who shrugged.

" _Your_ kid-" Alice pointed upstairs "-needs a lesson on covering her tracks. Next time she's out on a date, tell her to shower after. She's reeking of man cologne!"

"Oh, so when she's stupid in love she's _mine_?"

"Yeah," Alice said, with a huge, warm grin that contrasted beautifully with her dirty attire and face. It was the first genuine smile Claire saw in months.

"That's 'cause you're _way_ past stupid," Claire grunted.

The blonde chuckled as she accepted some scrambled eggs. Still tasted like crap, but she never complained.

She was _way_ past stupidin love with that annoying redhead.

 **XXX**

"I've no idea why I bother looking for you elsewhere," Jill slumped down next to Alice with a grunt. "It's hot as fuck up here, and _why on Earth_ you still do this?"

Alice kept her eyes trained on Angie's name, and said nothing.

"Is this some kind of ritual? A time of the year you spend punishing yourself under the sun?" Jill rambled on, more to herself than anything, but she cut her speech short when Alice looked at her with _that face._

"I'm not punishing myself, just doing some thinking. For how long she survived with the anti-virus?"

 _That fucking look on her face_. Jill felt an impulse to either punch her in the face or hug her.

"Angie had a degenerative disease, Alice. It's different."

"It's not different if I can lose my child to the t-virus at any moment!"

Jill looked at her friend. Excessive sun, cold and malnutrition was ruining everyone's youth, herself included. She had noticed a few expression lines that weren't there the day before. Alice, however, still looked exactly the same. It was as if nothing could disrupt the smoothness of her skin, or even disturb the cool in her light eyes, but Jill knew better.

She seemed impassible, but her eyes were drenched with emotions that, once again, she didn't manage to voice.

"If you really must listen this from me," Jill drew closer, offering her a cigarette. "I think you gotta do what you gotta do. Claire's on board, I am on board, and many other lunatics will be on board, whenever you need us ready to go get this shit."

"Back then, if you had the chance… Would you risk everything for a possibility?"

"I wouldn't think twice."

Alice watched her friend closely, spotting the lines around her gray eyes, too. She offered the brunette a nod and a silent 'thank you' as she dragged the cigarette, wondering if she would _really_ be okay watching everyone she loved aging.

That thought was on and off her mind, and at first it felt _right_. She had caused all that, so she had to live with the consequences. Now that she analyzed the situation again, she was scared.

If she relaxed her brain for a second, she would see Claire's lined eyes close for the last time. That felt more devastating than the end of the world.

"You said… Claire's on board," Alice said quietly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means your wife loves you, superwoman."

 **XXX**

Claire and Alice were both laughing, doing small talk on the couch in front of the fireplace, while Becky painted on the coffee table. The cold wheatear came back, and they saw no reason to socialize outdoors.

As they curled up under a blanket, they could forget one more day about breaking the news of the impending suicide mission they were planning. Claire was positive they should extend the invitation to everyone in Arcadia, while Alice thought it should be restricted to them, once it was more about personal reasons than anything else.

Claire's renovated benevolent speech was cut short when K-Mart came down stomping, walked past the living room with a grimace and let out a loud, impatient growl when she arrived in the kitchen.

"Can I help you?" Claire asked with a hint of a joke, propping herself against the back of the couch.

Alice's face scrunched in concentration. _What the fuck was that noise? It… No, it was not possible…_ K-Mart's bark brought her back to reality.

"Food? Dinner? Do we live of what, in this house?"

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Claire asked with a frown, ignoring the expression on Alice's face. "We _just_ had dinner!"

"And I did the dishes again," Alice deadpanned, a smirk curling her lips as she remained sprawled on the couch with Claire on top of her.

"Heard of midnight snacks? Like normal people do?" K-Mart spat angrily, ignoring the obvious hint that she forgot it was her day of doing chores in the kitchen.

"It's not midnight," Becky said, turning to check with Claire. "It's not, right?"

"No, honey. Not yet," the redhead said with a smile, then watching K-Mart go furiously through every cabinet while Alice laughed at their younger kid for dreading bedtime curfews.

"For the _love_ of God-!" K-Mart exclaimed, rushing to the front door and slamming it on her way out.

"It's the third time in two weeks," Claire muttered to the blonde. "D'you think we're being that neglectful with food?"

"Maybe I should go hunting again," Alice said, picking the radio from the coffee table and pressing it against her lips. "Redfield?"

Chris answered promptly. " _Night, Abernathy."_

"We have a situation 6-6-6, copy that?"

Claire frowned. She once heard Rain saying that over the radio to Alice, when _she_ was angrily looking for her. She snatched the device from her wife's hand and made sure her face was not visible to Becky, so she wouldn't read her lips.

"I hope she kicks you in the crotch when she finds you," she hissed, turning it off and throwing a death glare at Alice. "The number of the beast? _Really_?"

"C'mon, Claire," the blonde chuckled. "It's a joke!"

"It's so funny that I can't breathe!" the redhead snarled, slapping her everywhere her hands could reach.

" _Claire_!"

Claire let it go, still on top of her, infuriated by her smile.

"You are _such_ a pig!"

"Okay, I admit it… It's cruel. No more pigstyle jokes, I promise."

"No more animal-style _whatsoever_ , _I_ promise!" Claire hissed, getting off her and going away from the couch.

Alice sunk in the cushions, watching her leave to the kitchen barefoot, wearing a tiny t-shirt without a bra and insanely tight jeans.

"Hey, kid," she said to Becky, tilting her head to point the staircase. "Midnight."

Becky rolled her eyes and let out a deep sigh, but her resistance didn't go further than that. She kissed Alice goodnight and went after Claire in the kitchen.

When she was gone, Claire sat on the backrest of the couch with her arms folded.

"I have no idea what you intend to accomplish sending your daughter to bed."

"Do not underestimate my imagination, woman," she chuckled, pulling Claire down to her, silencing her squeal with a hot kiss.

 **XXX**

"Hey hey hey! Stop! Calm. _The fuck_. Down!"

K-Mart threw an infuriated look at Jill, but the truth was that she _wanted_ to talk to her. She was mad, scared, and she could not imagine someone better than Jill to hear her out.

In fact, K-Mart ran into her and Carlos on their way home. Upon seeing her state, Carlos merely saluted the girl and got inside.

"As if it wasn't bad enough that Christopher is an idiot," K-Mart snarled "I went back home and walked in on them _doing_ it!"

Jill wanted to laugh, but it was cold outside and K-Mart looked furious like she had never imagined possible.

"Do you wanna come in and talk?"

"Do you have food?" she spat back.

Jill's eyebrow shot up towards her hairline as she nodded a little unsure. Ten minutes later, they were on Jill's warm living room, in front of the fireplace. The logs cracked lightly, and the only loud sound besides it was angry chewing.

K-Mart ate corn from the can avidly, and Jill only watched, slightly confused. It was cold as fuck, and even though the girl was wearing a skirt and a tank, her forehead looked flushed and sweaty.

"Sorry 'bout that," K blurted out, placing the empty can by her feet on the floor, and then facing Jill with a weird expression. It was good being in a room where people were not having sex on the couch. The look on their faces was imprinted in her brain forever, and they definitively ruined doggy style for her. "It's just that you said I could… talk to you."

"Oh. Sure. What is it?"

"Uh… Can I use your bathroom first?"

Jill didn't have time to answer, because she sprinted out of the armchair and ran, tripping over the edge of the rug, cursing, and slamming the door after her.

 _Not_ that any of that prevented Jill from listening the awful sound of splattering vomit.

 _Oh._

OH.

K-Mart came back a few minutes later, mouth and the tips of her hair wet, a somber look on her face as she walked embarrassed towards the armchair. When she sat in front of Jill again, she only had time to let out a sigh.

"Are you late?"

K-Mart sniffed, staring at her boots. "My period is sort of irregular, but-"

"How long?"

She looked up, brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Two weeks," she blurted out.

Jill sighed. That was bad. That was _very_ bad.

"How _irregular_?"

"Not that much," she tuck her messy hair behind her ears. "I'm in trouble, right?"

Jill imagined the moment Alice found out, and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, you've no idea, kid…"


	4. Rage

**Sorry sorry sorry! Gratitude to those who are patiently waiting! Chapter 5 is already halfway through to make it up to you. Thank you so much for reading.**

 **Follow-that-convoy =)**

Chris was sprawled on his couch lazily, wishing he could have a cold beer in his hands. He closed his eyes and rested his head on the wall, exhaling deeply as his sister's words echoed from the radio.

What did she mean? In fact, he didn't care. Whenever K-Mart was angry, she would usually loosen up and they'd have a great time trashing Alice and Claire.

For two weeks, after that first time, K-Mart had sneaked out of the house almost every morning, while it was still dark, to meet him by the woods. Chris was not surprised she had that much energy – she was way younger than him, after all – but what caught him off guard was the energy _he_ suddenly seemed to have.

Maybe that was all about the many years he spent alone, without any contact that actually meant something, until he could no longer ignore the attraction he felt for his sister's young confidante.

K-Mart was excited with it; it was all new, it was hot, and they had to hide a lot. The appeal of forbidden things finally rubbed off on him, and he found himself longing to see her coming out of her window at dawn.

Every time he went back home, it was easy to ignore Luther's snores. All it would take was to lay in bed, close his eyes and think of her, her scent and her muffled cries against his mouth.

Right now, he felt younger, remembering their last encounter a little too graphically, feeling the sweaty skin of her back against his chest, her hair on his face, his hands pressing hers down on the seat-

"Hi."

Chris grinned and opened his eyes, seeing the real K-Mart in all her glory in front of him. He felt an urge to stand up to kiss her, when he noticed the angry look on her face.

"Hey!" he waved a little unsure. Well, she definitively looked angry.

"Thinking about someone?"

"Uh," he stuttered, getting to his feet and facing her. "What's wrong? You look upset-"

"Do you have food?" she asked, walking away from him.

"I think… There's an extra can of pineapple Luther saved for later. But feel free to eat it, I'm sure he won't mind," he added hastily when she found it and started to chew on the fruit without saying a single word. "Are you… okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be okay?" K-Mart snarled through a mouthful. "I'm stealing food, it's hot as hell in here, and I just caught you with your _thinking-of-Jill_ face, smiling like an idiot! _Why_ wouldn't I be okay?"

"Jesus, relax, I was-"

"Don't tell me to relax!" she yelled, pointing the last chunk of pineapple at him, and then storming off. She slammed the door behind her, almost hitting him on the nose.

Finally losing his temper, Chris growled and went after her. It was fucking cold outside, and he felt his body freeze. How could she be hot?

"Hey, wait a minute!" he snarled, grabbing her arm and spinning her around. "You're not gonna walk away without telling me what the hell I did to you!"

The few inhabitants that lived nearby and were still awake just put out their torches and kept watching the show in the privacy of darkness.

"Get your hands off of me!" she hissed, pulling her arm and throwing a death glare at him before turning around and leaving.

"The fuck did you do, man?" Luther approached him after she was gone.

"I have no idea. I owe you a can of pineapple, by the way."

"You owe me your fucking life, that fruit probably saved your ass!"

"Fuck off, Luther. And the rest of you can fuck off, too!" he snarled at the curious. "Show's over!"

 **XXX**

Claire stared at Alice, who had not reacted yet. They sat far apart on the couch, the redhead putting back her pants, looking guilty.

"Did you see the look on her face?" Claire whispered mortified.

Alice groaned, sinking deeper into the old cushions. "I'm helping your brother build that shit up, he's taking too long."

"It was you holding him back, if I'm not wrong."

"I had a change of heart. 'Cause I have one, you know," Alice added hoarsely.

The frail tone made Claire almost snap her neck to look at her.

"I never thought otherwise," she said softly, dragging herself to sit closer. She held Alice's calloused hand, and played with her ring for a while before she spoke again. "I know I've been a little harsh on you. I _know_ it can't possibly be your fault the virus changes you. I didn't forget that, I just forgot to act on it. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too," Alice whispered, looking back at Claire. She sounded tired, and even though she had no dark circles around her eyes, they seemed to be there somehow. Nothing could change the fact that, deep down, Claire had blamed her for volunteering, but right now Alice felt too worn out to discuss it again.

"What you think happened?" Claire asked quietly, resting her head on Alice's shoulder. "She came back early."

"I was counting on the lovebirds to grope each other inside Chase's old truck all night long."

" _What_?" Claire hissed. "Can you hear them from _here_?"

"No," Alice shook her head. "I saw the foggy windows the other day."

"Oh Jesus Christ, I didn't need to know _that_!"

"What, I thought you were okay with them being a couple," Alice said with a shit eating grin, her expression drenched in sarcasm.

"Oh, shut up!"

"K _saw_ us! She saw it, can you imagine how – Hey!"

Alice's suddenly worried reaction drew Claire's attention to the door. K-Mart was there, Jill right behind her, holding her by the shoulders with a weird look on her face.

"K, we're _so_ sorry!" Claire said, quickly standing up and walking towards them.

Alice sat up straight on the couch, looking absurdly uncomfortable with the glare Jill threw at her.

"So, I just wanted to make sure K got home safe," she said, but she didn't sound stern. In fact, her voice was quite cracked.

The brunette looked at the girl, eyes carrying a dangerous promise that things would work out alright. Jill said she would be there whenever K-Mart decided to break the news, and that she should do it only when she was ready.

K-Mart thought she would never be ready. Claire's look of repent was bothering her, and she just wanted to go to her room, when Alice took a sharp intake of breath and gasped, eyes wide in her direction.

The girl coiled against Jill.

"Tell me I'm wrong," Alice whispered, standing up but keeping at a distance, as her face grew red.

"What are you talking about?" Claire inquired with a frown, sensing the heat in the air that had nothing to do with the fireplace.

"I heard… It can't be right, it just _can't_ be right…"

K-Mart felt Jill's fingers pressing her shoulders.

"You _know_ something," Alice pointed a shaky finger at Jill menacingly.

"Sit down!" Claire said sternly to her, but when she turned to Jill, the brunette didn't look exactly resentful; in fact, her expression was pretty much like K's. "Jill, what-?"

"I hear five different heartbeats besides mine!" Alice snarled. "Why is that, K-Mart?"

"Alice, sit down!" Claire urged again.

"I thought I heard it before, but I couldn't believe-"

"She's feeling sick, so cut the yelling," Jill said angrily. "Keep your shit together and we can discuss that in the morning!"

A glass shattered in the kitchen as Alice's face scrunched.

"Why is there a fifth heartbeat, K-Mart?" she growled, ignoring both Claire's and Jill's protests.

"We're not talking about this right now-"

"Sit down-!"

"WHY IS THERE A FIFTH HEARTBEAT, K-MART?"

"BECAUSE I'M PREGNANT!"

The silence that fell upon them was so intense that for a moment it felt like they all could hear the extra pounding in the room.

Claire's expression was of mere shock, but Alice looked like she was about to have a heart attack. She looked infuriated at the three women, but her bloodshot eyes stayed longer on K-Mart.

"I'm gonna _kill_ your boyfriend-"

 **XXX**

Chris never saw it coming. He was brooding on his bed, wishing more than ever that he could have a beer or anything stronger, when he heard a loud bang followed by Luther's protest in the living room.

Begrudgingly, he walked to the tiny hall that separated the bedrooms, and the last thing he saw was the front door on the ground and the missing chunks of wood on the doorway, now attached to the hinges of the collapsed door.

Someone dragged him outside with formidable strength. He recognized that furious breathing, and decided not to move as her fingers felt excessively tight around his throat.

Without offering any resistance, his body was thrown forcefully against the wall of a nearby house. Given the lack of light and noise, Chris thought it was luckily inhabited.

She was actually snapping her teeth, like a rabid animal.

"Alice, calm down," he stretched both hands in front of him, feeling the burn on his neck. "I understand you must be really mad right now, but you need to tell me why. I don't know. She didn't tell me."

Apparently, bringing up K-Mart to the conversation was the only way to keep safe around Alice when she was like that. She regained control of her facial muscles and the growling stopped, but she still eyed him murderously.

"She didn't tell you."

"No," Chris said carefully, lowering his hands. "I asked, but she was too angry and stormed out without explaining it to me."

"Not her fault you are so dense."

He looked at Alice with his brow furrowed. She was denser than anyone that ever existed, but Chris rolled his eyes and chose not to mention that.

"Are you gonna live together and then what?" Alice's raspy voice brought him back to the scene.

"What?"

"K-Mart, Redfield!" she barked. "Are you… Are you gonna marry her?"

"I-"

"Do you love her?" she said more forcefully.

Chris frowned slightly.

"Of course I love her. What kind of question is that now?"

"Love her as in love to bang her, or love her as in forever?"

"I thought it was stablished _as in forever_ when I asked permission to build that house!"

Alice remained silent for a while, scrutinizing his clueless, almost hurt expression.

"So you _don't_ know. You didn't break up with her when she told you."

"Told me _what_? What's up with you people today, everyone's acting weird."

The blonde looked at him resentfully. "You hurt my kid, Redfield."

" _What_?" was the only thing he managed to hiss as a million scenarios flashed past his eyes. He had always been gentle, but hell, sometimes things got-

"Stop thinking about that," Alice snarled, weirdly aware of his train of thought.

" _Jesus Christ_ , Alice, what-?"

"Even though that was the reason she is like _that_ right now-" she added, more to herself than anything.

Chris frowned as her voice trailed off. Then he frowned deeper. Then his expression went blank.

"She's-?"

"She's pregnant."

"K's pregnant."

"Finally," Alice rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure-?"

"Yes."

"Is it-"

"Are you implying she sleeps around with _other_ cavemen besides you?"

"I was gonna ask if they're safe! Her and the-"

"Heart is beating just fine," she confessed begrudgingly, and was taken aback by the look of relief on his stupid face when he heard that.

"But how…?"

"I can hear it. T-virus treat."

"Right."

He seemed so lost that Alice had to hold back the urge to smash his teeth. That was ill-advised to her nerves; a nearby torch exploded and scorched the rooftop of the house.

The inhabitants finally got out, protesting in their pajamas.

"Sorry 'bout that," Alice mumbled, smacking the fire with her bare hands and putting it out with more efficiency than a firehose. She prodded Chris with her shotgun, and they walked together towards her house.

 **XXX**

The scene was similar to something out of last century common drama.

K-Mart stared in utter mortification as Chris busted into their living room, Alice right behind him. Then she noticed the marks of Alice's fingers around his neck, and that the tip of Alice's shotgun was against his back.

That was so unreal that she wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry. K stood up, and heard several intakes of breath along the process. Alice looked expectantly at her, like a cat that brought a dead mouse in.

"I need to… I can't be around _any_ of you right now," the young blonde muttered, going upstairs shaking her head.

Claire followed her in spite of her last statement, but midway up the staircase she looked back at Alice and Chris. "Stay," she said emotionlessly, pointing the couch to them. "And thank you, Jill."

"Later," the brunette grunted and waved, spinning on her heels and leaving the house as quickly as she humanly could.

Bone chilling air entered the living room briefly as the brunette went out, making Chris shiver for a second before the door slammed shut again. Alice looked unaffected by the weather, but her face was awfully distorted, as if she _just_ understood the situation – K-Mart, her kid, would be giving birth in the middle of nowhere, without proper hygiene, medication and anesthetics.

She was not only bounded to a lot of pain – she was also at risk of dying from septicemia. _If_ she managed to live through pregnancy.

As the natural urge of breathing, Alice swung her fist and punched Chris on the face. She saw droplets of blood flying through the air as his face turned the opposite way with the impact. She wiggled her fingers; that didn't even feel good enough. She sat down at the coffee table, hands digging into her hair, elbows propped on her knees.

"If _anything_ -"

"I'll _let_ you kill me," Chris grunted, slumping down the couch without even caring about his bleeding lip. The realization of what was at stake just sunk in, and it felt like a speeding truck had hit him and then ran over him.

The blonde didn't look up, but she could feel the atmosphere and the weight of the guilty Chris carried on his shoulders. For the first time in years, Alice's blood went cold with dread.

 **XXX**

"I know you don't like tea, but I think it'd help right now."

K-Mart stared at Claire. The redhead stood by the door to her bedroom, looking a little uncomfortable, but holding her gaze. K-Mart remembered the first time she saw Claire Redfield, and she was amazed with her beauty. However, what surprised her most was Claire's ability to parent her even though she wasn't _that_ much older than herself.

Her expression was different these days, and she looked a lot more mature. Perhaps it was the effect of the lamp and the shadows, but she did look aged. She had subtle lines around her eyes and mouth, she lost weight over the past months, and her hair was no longer bright red.

However, she was still Claire Redfield. She wasn't judging K-Mart. She wasn't about to scold or chastise her for getting knocked up. She was offering her tea, like a mother would.

K-Mart burst into tears, and within half a second she was engulfed in Claire's embrace.

"Hey, it's okay, sweetie," she whispered against the girl's hair, cradling her in her arms, patting her back lightly. "You're not alone. You know that, right?" and as the young blonde nodded "We're handling this as a family."

"I'm sorry," K sobbed against Claire's shoulder.

"You don't have to apologize, honey."

"Oh God!" she jumped up to sitting position and stared at Claire with horror. "She's gonna kill Chris, Claire, you have to stop her-"

"She's not killing anyone," Claire reassured her.

"Unless you ask me to," Alice said sadly, entering the room almost timidly.

Claire squeezed K's shoulders with a chuckle, and stood up to give the two women privacy. She rubbed Alice's lower back softly on her way out, and went downstairs to keep her brother company.

He was a mess, worst than when he arrived with her wife. Claire sat down beside him on the couch, and both Redfields focused on the coffee table.

"We need a doctor," Chris said, and Claire could've sworn it was the first time in his life that he sounded so scared.

"Yes."

"Where the _fuck_ are we going to find one, Claire?"

She looked at him. His eyes were bloodshot and his cracked lip trembled for a second.

"Umbrella," the redhead said quietly.

Chris gasped. "What?"

 **XXX**

It was the first time in months that Alice entered K-Mart's bedroom. Their stupid silent war had been all consuming and fruitless, at least to Alice's point of view. Not only it created an abyss between them, but also Claire's idiotic brother finally managed to physically hurt _and_ jeopardize her kid's safety in one go.

"Can I-?" she pointed the bed hesitantly.

"You don't have to ask," K-Mart offered her a wet smile.

She looked so sad that Alice felt her heart shatter. She was too young for that shit. Too young for all the shit she had been through.

However, the sound of both K and the baby's heartbeat was so _soothing_ …

Alice shook her head and sat down next to the younger blonde.

"Okay," she said awkwardly, clasping her hands together and looking around the bedroom.

"Claire didn't tell you what to say when you got here?"

Alice chuckled, finally looking at K. Their relationship had always been so easy… She had no idea why they had complicated it so much.

"In a different life, she would have me reading Parenting for Dummies. With graphic instructions."

"You don't need a book for that," K shrugged. "You know that, right?"

Alice stared intensely at the girl. "I'm an idiot."

For a moment, there was only silence, heavy silence. Then K shrugged "Well, Claire's been telling me this since we met, so that's not like brand new information, really."

Alice chuckled, feeling a lot of the weight leaving her shoulder as her muscles relaxed.

"I've been an idiot too," K-Mart added.

"That's your job. I'm the… _parent_. Or whatever you wanna call it, but I'm supposed to take care of you and make sure nothing bad happens to you, and I failed."

"Alice-"

"No, seriously, let me finish… I'm not good with words, but… I'm gonna make sure nothing else-"

"Don't make that promise to me," she whispered. "Not when you're planning to go back to Umbrella."

Alice stared at K-Mart with surprise; she didn't look irritated or disappointed, but she had that look of comprehension that Claire had when she was younger.

"So Claire told you."

"Are you mad?"

"Of course I'm not mad," she sighed, clasping her hands back together again. "Do you want me to send Chris up?"

"This may sound strange, but… I don't really wanna see him right now," K-Mart confessed awkwardly.

"Excellent," Alice grinned. "Should I kill him, throw him off a cliff-? That's your pick."

The girl laughed. "You know what I mean. I'm just not… really sure about how I'm feeling. I don't know _what_ to feel."

"There's no need to hurry," the blonde stood up and walked to the door. She looked at K-Mart. "Everything will be okay. I'm gonna protect Claire, Becky, you and the baby no matter what."

When Alice closed the door, reality finally hit K-Mart. A _baby_.

She was going to have a baby.

 _God_.

 **XXX**

"Go home, she doesn't wanna see you," Alice grunted when Chris promptly stood up from the couch. She ignored his wounded expression and walked past him towards their kitchen.

She needed to pretend she was looking for something until he left, or she would punch him again.

Claire shrugged when her brother searched for her eyes; that sounded like something along the lines of K-Mart, so she didn't even bother arguing with Alice.

He didn't look pleased, but he left without further discussion. His lips were throbbing and he could still feel the burn on his throat from Alice's nearly strangling him.

"Are you okay?" Claire asked quietly as she watched Alice pace nervously around the kitchen table.

"I need to-" her voice was shaky and cracked. "I need to _rage_. I can't be here, I can't trust myself to be this close to you-"

"You won't hurt me," Claire said firmly, approaching her without hesitation. The look in her eyes was different from that morning, where she was afraid of Alice, and that gave the blonde some long forgotten control.

When she realized it, she was in Claire's warm arms while everything around them floated above their heads. Claire grabbed a handful of messy blond hair and brought Alice's lips to hers, kissing her fervently.

There was a loud _thud_ when the furniture collapsed back down. Both women pulled apart and studied their partially destroyed living room and kitchen.

"Well, it looks like you and Rain will have a lot of carpenter stuff to keep busy for a while," Claire said absently minded.

She was amazing, Alice thought. The blonde was about to voice it, when Becky came downstairs, rubbing her eyes.

"Can I sleep with you tonight? My bed was flying."

Claire grinned. "Of course you can," she said, kneeling in front of the girl and turning to her wife. "You'll be okay out there?"

"Yeah. Call if you need me."

She walked to the door as she hooked the radio to her jeans, but Claire pulled her back by the hand and kissed her again, so gently that it felt like a first – or last – kiss.

"I love you," she whispered.

Alice felt the knot tightening in her throat as she managed to croak her answer.

"Love you too."


	5. Nausea

"Do you think he's dead?"

Jill approached the bars and watched the unmoving form lying on the ground. Bennett looked pale, and that added to being hurt and underfed actually gave him the appearance of a corpse.

She turned back to Ada. "He wouldn't be missed, but he's breathing."

The former Umbrella agent shifted her weight from one leg to the other; she didn't seem at ease.

"You look upset," Jill said.

"I'm not upset. I'm merely concerned about inventory. Are we going to keep feeding him?"

"In case he survives it, I guess so."

"Well, shouldn't we be treating him then?"

Jill frowned as she looked at Ada. "What is this about? I know you don't give a damn."

The Chinese woman rolled her eyes and sighed. "I don't. But Claire Redfield does. If a man starves to death under her watch, she'll be distressed. She's a compassionate leader on top of anything else. This will shake her morals, and I need her focused for the mission."

"Well, you can forget about that. They're having a major family crisis, and you can't expect her to act like that."

"I don't know what it is, but they need a doctor, right? Only Umbrella detained doctors by the time the world ended, so I think this crisis is basically the trigger we need to get them moving."

Jill snapped her neck. "How can you _possibly_ know?"

"I'm an expert in behavior, Valentine. That granted my survival. I detected the changes before they did," Ada said simply and added nonchalantly. "Besides, the teenager's hormones… That was leading to chaos, and no one paid attention to the fact that they copulate like rabbits."

"Oh my _God_ -"

"I could kill for sleeping pills, trust me. Now, will you help me?"

"Of course. Whatever it takes to get me out of provincial life-"

"Why you didn't tell me?"

Ada and Jill turned around to meet a wounded-looking Chris Redfield. He was awfully red on the cheeks and a little out of breath. He was _too_ big to look awkward like a teenage boy, Ada thought.

He was, however, staring at Jill. Ada rolled her eyes and left them alone in front of Bennett's cell.

"You barely look at me these days," the brunette declared without ceremony. "We're not even cordial to each other anymore. Not that I haven't tried. But it seemed like a one-way street, so I thought, well, fuck it. Did you really expect me to run up the hill with your _terrified_ girlfriend to spread the news to _you_?"

"So you're admitting I ruined her life, like everybody else does?"

"Is that why you came looking for me? To ease your mind? Well, here's the thing. _Fuck you,_ Christopher! Fuck you and your huge, constantly bruised ego! Fuck you for being so selfish! Yes, you fucked up _big_ time! Live with that, alright? She might die, and the only thing you care about is whether this was your fault or not?"

"I did not come here for you to ease my mind!" he hollered, growing redder on the face. "If I wanted that, I would go find Alice for a free bullet between my eyes!"

Jill watched her estranged friend; a good, self-controlled man, losing his shit right in front of her.

"I admit our friendship turned into something weird," he said in a shaky, barely recomposed voice. "Because I had feelings for you. And then K showed up… And I can't live without that girl, anymore, Jill-" his voice trailed off, almost disappearing, until he found it again. "And it sucks that I was not the first person she trusted to talk about it."

Jill sighed. "That's why they invented communication. You need to tell her that."

Chris chose to ignore the sarcasm that almost always drenched Jill's advices. "I would, if she had let me."

"She doesn't wanna see you, big deal! She's the one carrying a child, Chris! She has the right to do it."

"Yeah, I know," he admitted. "I just wanted her to… _know_."

"God, you people are very much into discussing feelings. What is the matter with you guys?"

Chris offered her a twisted smile. "Maybe talking about it is annoying as hell, but _not talking_ because you're scared for shit, well… that's pretty annoying too."

Jill narrowed her eyes; her senses screamed bullshit was coming.

"I don't know why I'm encouraging you, but would mind elaborating that?"

"You think Carlos is an _anchor_ of sorts to… What did you call it? _Provincial life_? You think playing husband and wife sucks even though you love him… And now you're ready to jump in the first suicide mission that comes up only to run away from that."

"Just because you trapped K-Mart in a life she can't escape, it doesn't mean every woman should want just that for them!"

"That is not what I said!"

"Better rehearse that speech again, then, Redfield," she grunted, walking past him and leaving the warehouse.

 **XXX**

It felt like she was running from her problems, but for once she chose to look like a coward instead of start beating to death anything that moved in front of her.

Alice felt the sweat run down her temples and spine. The sun would rise at any minute, but the dull ache and fatigue never came.

It was weariness and the scent of mud what usually helped, but nothing would be enough, she could never calm down to the perspective of losing K.

Alice made her way back home, and she even ventured to take a quick, quiet shower. When she got inside their bedroom, the sight made her heart stop for a millisecond.

Claire and Becky were sleeping peacefully under the light of an oil lamp; her wife's red hair always looked brighter with the effects of precarious illumination. Becky was curled up against her, and they both seemed comfortable like that, like Becky had been doing that since she was born, like Claire gave birth to her.

It was warm, weird and addictive to watch, and it always reminded Alice that the circumstances gave her a family and a place to go back to, and now it looked like the circumstances might claim it all back.

She put on old sweatpants that once belonged to someone with shorter legs, and used socks to cover her shins. After putting on her outworn tank top, she sat down in the armchair and held her head in her hands as she watched them sleep, burning that image in her brain like a picture, so she could remember what she was actually fighting for.

Her body felt spent and the anger was under control again. Her muscles tingled deliciously in all the right places, and Alice could have stayed there for hours watching them as she rested, but a loud thud indicated that someone else required her attention.

From the corridor she noticed K-Mart's bedroom door open, and she heard a sniffle coming from the bathroom. She knocked softly and then went in.

K was on the floor, head resting on the wall as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Get out," she murmured.

"Yeah sure," Alice scoffed gently, dropping on one knee to pick the girl up. She would have carried K, but she felt the tension and embarrassment, so she went for simply providing a helping hand.

K-Mart accepted it and stood up. Alice rounded her waist with her arm and didn't move. For a second she felt hypnotized; the baby heart beat seemed amplified in her head, but not loud. Just very clear. And so, _so_ soothing that it felt better than any jogging or punching.

"Alice?"

"Sorry," she grunted, guiding her to the door and then down the stairs.

When they arrived in the kitchen, Alice pointed the table.

"Sit," she said.

K-Mart didn't offer any resistance, and slumped down a chair very ungracefully. She watched in silence as Alice moved about the stove and cabinets. Within a few minutes, they were sitting across from each other with two steaming cups of tea.

"I hate tea," K-Mart whined.

"Me too," Alice sipped hers with a grimace. "But it helps with the nausea. Try it."

K-Mart smiled with the empathy, and for a second she looked like she was fourteen again. She sipped her drink and scowled.

"This should be a crime."

"Yeah. Who invented tea? The Chinese?" Alice asked pensively, drinking with a scowl again.

"I don't know. Should we ask Ada?"

"Drink," Alice pointed her cup. "Maybe we should smack her."

"I always had a secret desire of hitting her," K-Mart confessed with a giggle. "I think it's that look of composure."

" _Composure_ ," Alice repeated with a scoff. "She's an uptight ass."

K-Mart laughed. "I'm keeping you away from your grandkid if you don't watch your mouth."

There was a loud gasp, maybe from K-Mart, maybe from Alice, it was hard to tell. Alice's mug shattered and fell into pieces atop the table, spilling warm tea all over the surface.

Her green eyes were wide in shock and her mouth was hanging open in non-elegant fashion.

 _Charming_ , was the first thought that occurred to K-Mart, but right after that she realized what she had said. _Fuck, did she really imply Alice would be-?_

"Alice, I-"

"Don't," the blonde softly asked, reaching out for K's hands and covering them with hers. She had a small, full of meaning smile on her lips that K-Mart had never seen before. "It's okay. Actually more than okay, it's just-"

"A fuckload to process, yeah."

"Watch _that_ mouth around my… you know _,_ " she said a little hesitantly, gesticulating awkwardly with her hands.

K-Mart felt a pang in her heart as her lips cracked into a huge smile. That woman's body language was phenomenally fun. It was hard to believe her fortress could be so adorably goofy.

"I _know_ ," the younger blonde rolled her eyes. "Would you get rid of my tea as well? I really don't wanna finish this."

"How does your stomach feel?"

"Actually…" K-Mart frowned. "It feels better than I've felt in days."

"No deal, then," Alice said with a wink.

"Oh, I see," she said in a low, businesslike voice as she narrowed her brown eyes. "I need to feed it with actual food!"

"Say 'feed the… _peanut'_."

"What?"

"Don't call the baby _it_. It's not a thing."

"Did you _just_ nickname my baby _peanut?_ "

"Well, it's the kid's current size," Alice said with a shrug, showing it by spacing her index finger from her thumb just a little. "And we don't have to specify gender."

"How thoughtful of you! The woman who doesn't care if we're pouring boiling tea on…" she hesitated. "On… _peanut's_ head."

"It won't fall straight on his head, K-Mart!"

" _His?_ "

Alice went silent for a moment. She had no idea where that came from.

"It's not even hot anymore, and it won't fall on the peanut's head. Okay? Drink it."

K-mart grunted under her breath and finished her tea. They moved to the couch, where the young woman fell asleep almost right away on Alice's lap, mumbling something about missing to watch Wheel of Fortune. She had both hands on top of her still flat abdomen in a protective gesture.

Alice rested her head back on the couch and closed her eyes. She fell asleep after a few minutes listening to the baby's heart.

 **XXX**

Claire came downstairs a few hours later. She folded her arms and smiled when she saw Alice and K, and went to the kitchen get started with breakfast.

She let out a muffled groan when her eyes met the cracked china and spilled tea.

"Buenas, Redfield!" Rain said, tapping the window from outside and almost giving Claire a heart attack.

"Jesus fuck, Rain!"

"Sorry," she said as she entered through the front door. "I smelled coffee from outside."

"It's not even ready yet, you addicted bitch. Yeah," she rolled her eyes. "Put another cup on the table. And it's Abernathy, now."

"For real?"

"How am I supposed to play con game without her last name?"

Rain laughed through her nose, and looked around the quiet house.

"You're not confiscating my gun? Where's Becky? Where's the incessant talking teenager? Where's Abernathy?"

"I'm glad you're cooperating," Claire smiled, taking Rain's shotgun from her. "Everyone's asleep. But hey, I almost forgot. Can you drop by later and help Alice fix the furniture?"

"What the fuck happened here?" Rain frowned, just noticing everything was slightly scorched or definitively broken.

"Telekinesis happened," the redhead said quietly.

"Shit."

"Yeah."

"Hey, listen… You might wanna keep her in today, then. She's going to… implode the place if she hears the rumors people are spreading around town," Rain said in aggravated tone.

"What rumors?"

"'bout K, uh, _breeding_?"

"Rain! She's a person, for God's sake!" Claire hissed through gritted teeth.

"So she _is_ breeding?" she whispered, eyes bulging as her usual tanned face went oddly pale.

" _Pregnant_ ," the redhead snarled. "Say pregnant! It can't be so hard!"

Rain didn't even retort. She slumped down the nearest chair and stared at the former leader.

"Claire, she can't have a baby in this place."

"You think I don't know that? We're… We're going back to Umbrella. They might still have doctors and antibiotics."

The brunette didn't question the absurd. "When do we leave?"

"We haven't discussed that yet-"

"There's nothing to discuss, Red," Rain interrupted her. "Let's prep the osprey, gather brute force and go! What are we waiting for?"

"I don't know," Claire said honestly, sitting down next to her friend. "I think I'm just scared."

"Well, Abernathys don't get scared. You better act on that if you want the fortune."

Claire chuckled. "You're doing all this just because you don't wanna fix the furniture?"

"Obviously," Rain said with a wink, getting up and walking towards the couch. "They're passed out here."

"Yeah," Claire commented softly. "Guess they had a long night bonding after The Great Thickhead World War."

The brunette stared deeply at K-Mart.

"She doesn't look pregnant."

"She's only a couple weeks," the redhead sighed.

"No, I mean… She's just-"

"Shut up," Alice grunted, her voice thick with sleep, opening her eyes slowly and sitting up. She picked K from the couch and took her upstairs to her bedroom.

By the time she got back, Claire and Rain were having breakfast in the kitchen.

"You should start making your own food," she mumbled to Rain.

The brunette shrugged and kept eating, until - like she was talking about the vegetables price - she casually threw the question in the air.

"So, when do we leave?"

Alice looked at Claire.

"Just wondering, you know," she went on, shoving more bread into her mouth. "I'm sick of wanting to break people's necks just because they breathed too loud next to me."

"We _have_ to go," Claire added, looking at Alice with pleading eyes.

"Fine," the blonde grunted, throwing her hands up in the air. "I need the osprey ready to fly, with one extra gallon of fuel. I will need two skilled pilots, and four to six people with the ability to shoot. And I _beg_ you," she looked straight into Claire's eyes. "I beg you to stay here."

"No."

"Claire-"

"No!"

"Everyone that has bonded with the girls is coming along. I can't leave knowing no one I trust is staying to take care of them!"

"Why me? My brother can stay!"

"He _caused_ this, if he's not even _willing_ to risk his neck to save K-"

"He didn't cause _everything_ -"

"Are you siding with him now?"

 _Boy, that escalated,_ Rain thought. When Becky came downstairs, still rubbing her eyes, Rain tiptoed to get her shotgun, and left the house unnoticed.

As she walked towards the warehouse, she mentally planned to check up the helicopter and their arsenal.

She was thinking about releasing the tension on Umbrella soldiers, when she bumped into Chris.

"Hey, Rain" he said.

She punched him.

" _Jesus Christ_ … What was that for?" he yelled, nursing his recurrent gashed, bleeding lip.

"She is just a girl, stud!" she shook her head and kept walking, swearing frantically in Spanish.

Chris sighed, turned on his wheels and headed to his sister's house.

 **XXX**

"If anyone else wants to punch me, that will have to wait," Chris said, hands up in peace offer, entering through the same door Rain had just walked out. "I need to talk to K."

When no one answered, he turned around and found Alice and Claire locked in a glaring contest. They were sitting across from each other, and they looked like they wanted to kill each other. For a second Chris wondered if they would have interrupted a discussion just because he arrived, but then he noticed Becky sitting next to Claire, still half asleep.

Shrugging, he decided to go upstairs, when he felt Alice's arm blocking him at chest's height. She picked a radio from her sweatpants pocket and didn't even look at him as she spoke.

"Neanderthal's here."

A sizzling sigh. " _He can come up, Alice,_ " said K-Mart's tired voice.

Alice narrowed her eyes at him. "You can go upstairs."

"I heard that," Chris said, avoiding Alice's elbow just in time as he skipped the first step. He walked slowly towards K's room, not really sure what to expect.

It was strange, not knowing something. Usually, couples would be celebrating, annoying neighbors and family with the news. That had been the first thought that crossed his mind when Alice not-so-nicely told him – K, a little kid and him, having a picnic under the sun.

In this mental picture he was happy, and he felt his heart skipping several beats when he realized he was going to be a dad. But well, it didn't go as his mind planned, and now he only faced the perspective of living in a world where he killed his love.

Chris pushed the door open and took a tentative step in. It felt pretty much like the first time he ever entered K-mart's room, when it was a taboo, when he felt tingles in his stomach just for being there, watching a young woman change clothes in front of him.

K was sitting on her bed, exactly like she was that day, with the difference that her hair was slightly disheveled, and she looked tired.

"Sorry I woke you up," he muttered.

"I wasn't sleeping," K said quietly. She looked embarrassed for a moment, but when she noticed he looked just as much, she let out a small smile as she patted the mattress in front of her. "C'mon, old man. Are you a vampire?"

"Aren't you too young to understand that reference?"

She was about to snap, when she saw the shy sparkle on his light eyes. That was the only indication she had that he was actually joking.

"Lately I enjoy food better than sarcasm."

"Duly noted," he said, sitting down in front of her. He took a deep breath and looked straight into her brown eyes. "I'm sorry, K. For whatever reason that made you feel like you couldn't count on me. I'm sorry I didn't pay attention. I should've known."

K-Mart smiled, feeling tears sprouting from her eyes. "It wasn't your fault, Chris… I was angry, and scared… How could you have known?"

"I should have been able to, or something," he shrugged.

"Stop. Alice's a party pooper because she has got her superpowers and she _heard_ the…"

Chris grinned. "The what?"

"Peanut."

"Huh?"

K-Mart shook her head. "The baby's heart. She heard it, even though he's peanut-sized."

"You think our kid's a he?"

It was all it took for K-Mart to throw herself into his arms. He was going to be an awesome dad… A bit of a moronic one, but right now she had no idea why she shut him out.

"Hey," he pulled her at arm's length and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Don't be upset. Keep in mind that, in a few months, we'll be thinking of names, and…maybe fighting over picking names… We could have a small garden, and get vegetables to grow-"

He was interrupted by a wet kiss.

"I'll take that as you liked my idea."

"Okay, I wanna do this the right way," K said, pulling apart for a minute. "Can we start over?"

"Sure."

"I'm pregnant."

Chris smiled.

"You know, I was wondering… If, you know, some day… After the baby's born, and after we're living in that house… Will you-?"

"Yes," K-mart said with a shaky sigh of relief, grinning shyly. " _Yes_."

"I love you both," he whispered against her hair, pretty much like the first time he confessed he loved her.

K-Mart was about to melt in a stupid puddle of hormones, when Alice entered without knocking.

"Why you crying?"

"Stupid hormones," K grunted, squeezing Chris's hands and smiling at him. "Can you get me some breakfast?"

He grinned and nodded, understanding the adorable way she gave him his cue to leave and let her deal with the furious mother rhino.

"Were you listening through the door?" K asked Alice with her hands on her waist, not sure if that was infuriating or funny.

"You forgot yours on," Alice said, clumsily showing her the radio.

"Oh my God, you were listening to the entire conversation downstairs? Why you didn't turn it off? That was private! Jesus, you and Claire are going to be those old ladies who _love_ to gossip about life in Arcadia."

"I'm not growing old, so…" Alice shrugged, and after a beat she sat down in the exact spot Chris had been on the bed. _Such a territorial freak_. "I thought _Peanut_ was… _our_ thing," she said awkwardly.

K-Mart grinned broadly, laughing and crying at the same time.

"What?" Alice asked, slightly bewildered.

"Damn hormones," K chuckled. "C'mon, Alice, it _is_ our thing! No need to be hurt."

"I'm not hurt!"

"You're still the only one who can hear his heart, c'mon," the girl said softly, with a warm smile that almost made Alice break down.

"I sure am," the blonde said, giving her best to sound grumpy as she felt something burn the corner of her eye as she turned away to leave.

"Hum, Alice?"

"What now?" she rolled her eyes dramatically to conceal all the emotions that were basically irradiating from her.

"My stomach. I might need… tea."

"I'll go-" Alice made a pause and reconsidered. "I'll let Chris know."


End file.
